Christian Horner aims final gibe at Toto Wolff to end iconic F1 rivalry

Christian Horner has aimed one final gibe at Toto Wolff after revealing the Mercedes boss's final text message after the former's sacking by Red Bull.

Horner was dismissed by Red Bull GmbH as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing on July 9th, 2025, after 20 years at the helm, in which he won eight drivers' and six constructors' titles for the team. 

In 2021, as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton did battle for the drivers' title, Horner and Wolff engaged in an as fierce war of words off track, all building up to the Abu Dhabi crescendo. 

The following year, Netflix's Drive to Survive revealed a tense exchange between the pair in a team principal's meeting in Canada, where Horner memorably told Wolff: 'If you've got a problem, change your fucking car,' as Mercedes grappled with its flawed zero sidepod concept to start the ground effects era.

Following Horner's sacking, he recorded a special sit-down interview with Drive to Survive, where he revealed the message Wolff had sent him after his exit, with the Briton signing off with one last, playful gibe towards his old adversary. 

"I didn’t know what to say, because on one side, you’ve been a real arsehole," Horner explained on the latest season of Netflix's Drive to Survive. 

"But on the other hand, the sport will miss one of its main protagonists. Who should I fight, and ‘love to hate’, as you always said? Wolff and Horner have a combined 14 of the last 15 world championships. Not a bad points statistic."

Horner then revealed his reply to his old adversary.

"I’ve loved locking horns with you all these years. So thank you for the rivalry, the competition and the needle. No one else even came close, as the statistics point out. 

"I wish you all the best for the future. P.S. You need a haircut."